Richie rolled over, smiling at the smooth comfort of his large duvet, as he pulled the sleeping form of his husband closer to his chest. He knew that starting just next week, he wasn't going to be able to enjoy the long known comfort of slowly falling asleep next to Eddie, something he'd gotten overly used to within the last ten years. Ever since moving into that simple, rat-ass New York apartment that housed them only for a few months before they realized how much money they were wasting on a two-bedroom place, Richie and Eddie had spent every night side by side. There was, of course, always those few exceptions- when Richie's parents had divorced, and Eddie hadn't been able to go back to Derry as a support system because of his work, or when Eddie had gone out of town for a weekends for car shows and Richie couldn't follow him like a trophy husband- but the couple had spent the majority of their adults lives sharing their bed.
At the start of next week, Richie would be switching over to the late show at his radio station. It was going to mean many more late nights, working until 2 or 3 in the morning depending, but it was huge raise and Rich Records finally moving onto his own show, run and controlled completely by himself. His music, his words, all his choices. It was an absolutely amazing opportunity, something that really pushes Richie's career. He'd been offered the position almost half a year earlier, but when it had put in front of him he and Eddie had been in the process of adopting Marty and Richie had turned it down without question. There was no possibility of Richie switching over to working nights with a newborn baby in the house. The DJ they'd hired when Richie turned the job down hadn't worked out, and when Richie received the offer once again he and Eddie had been in agreement: you didn't turn a career altering promotion down twice.
As his start date loomed closer, Richie thought on it more and more. Wondered if he made the right choice, giving up his nights with Eddie. They were going to be saving a bundle on childcare- what with Beverly staying with them now, and Richie now being home during the day- but Eddie's baby-leave from work was ending around the same time Richie was starting on nights... and with sleeping Eddie in his arms now, Richie was already mourning something he hadn't lost yet.
Even asleep, Eddie Kaspbrak would gravitate towards Richie's touch. The second Richie's arms had tightened around him, Eddie had nuzzled into Richie's neck and shifted his legs so they tangled together in the sheets. Richie felt almost as though his heart was vibrating, marvelling at how after twelve years in a relationship that Eddie Kaspbrak could still make him feel like a thirteen year old with a crush.
Eddie let out a small huff, blinking up at Richie and smiling sleepily. "How long have you been up?"
"Not long," Richie hummed, rubbing soft circles into Eddie's back. "Seems like our little babies gave into the subliminal messages I left them to bother Bev in the mornings instead of us."
Eddie laughed. "Baby, I love you, but I don't think you're smart enough to just plant subliminal messages into the minds of our children."
"Childs minds are very vulnerable," Richie said wisely, leaning in to press feather light kisses to just below Eddie's ear.
Eddie hummed, the small conversation about their children's possible mind control long forgotten as Richie's lips trailed lower. His arms came up to wrap around Richie's neck and pull his husband closer, pressing their lips together and pushing their chests flush to one another. Richie would almost be embarrassed at how quickly he was reacting, but he could definitely reason it out to himself that they hadn't had sex since before leaving for Derry... and it was a scarce enough occasion then, as well. A fussy newborn was twice as hard when you also had a hyper-active toddler to chase after all day long. Sex definitely became something that was put on the back burner, but never forgotten.
Richie gripped Eddie's hips and rolled them so Eddie was settled on top of him. Eddie leaned onto his elbows, grinning almost wolfishly down at him. "Oh? It's like that today, is it?"
Richie blew a kiss and rocked his rapidly hardening cock against Eddie's thigh. "Let's be real, isn't it always?"
Eddie laughed breathily, leaning down to lock his teeth against Richie's pulse point. Richie's smothered a moan, and started rocking his hips upwards faster as their bedroom door banged open. "Rich- shit!"
Beverly cupped her hands over her mouth and turned away quickly. "Oh my God, I'm sorry. Jesus fucking- I am sorry." Eddie was already rolling off of Richie and Richie couldn't hold back his groan. "I just... I wasn't sure how to do Marty's bottle and I... I'm sorry, you can... finish, I-"
"I think it's safe to say this is finished," Richie said as he tumbled out of bed. Eddie let his gaze travel down his husbands body as Richie moved from the room, then muffled a loud groan into pillows that smelled like them.
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Mike walked behind his supervisor who was talking a mile a minute. It was only his first day, but it certainly felt as though they thought he'd been here for years on years. "I know it's only your first day," the supervisor whose name Mike had either forgotten or had never been told in the first place. "That's why we're putting you in with Spencer. He usually does the tours for the high school students, which you'll be tagging along on today."
Mike nodded, having to wonder if was the normal fashion in which a high price train their new employees: by dropping them completely on their heads and hoping no damage comes to them. Mike saw the high schoolers then, standing around in groups and talking amongst themselves. There was no sign of leadership outside of the teachers who stood around with them, openly more excited for the class tour than the students were. Panic prickled at Mike's chest as he approached. "Hi, I- I'm Mike," he said, not knowing what the appropriate term of introduction would even be. He thought to himself once again at how completely untrained he was for this job, thinking on how this must be what a baby birds were like- tossed out of the nest whether they knew how to fly or not.
A sandy-haired boy who, admittedly looked too old to be in a high school field trip, stepped forward and flashed Mike a quality smile. "What are you going to be showing us today? Like, why should I even give a shit about this tour?"
Mike stalled, eyes going wide, as whispers moved through the group of students. He knew he was supposed to be professional in this sort of situation- explain the tour, explain the great interests of history, the importance it held in the lives they were living now. The issue now, of course, was that Mike had no idea what tour he was supposed to be giving and it made it quite hard to be professional when he was thrust into a job he didn't know how to do.
"We, uh-" Mike cleared his throat, feeling his whole body begin to go hot. His heart raced in his chest and he was about thirty seconds away from dropping this job, and going back to Alexander and Derry right then. "We're doing our tour on... Uh-"
"You don't know?" The guy sneered, stepping towards him. Mike's stomach twisted up uncomfortably and he truly thought for a moment that he might throw up everywhere. "What kind of tour guide, are you?"
"It's..." Mike swallowed harshly. "It's my first day, I don't... I wasn't told that I'd even be doing a tour until about thirty seconds ago. There's supposed to be higher up, but they're not here yet or they're late..."
"No," the guy smirked. "They're not late." He walked from the crowd and moved to stand beside Mike. "Hey guys, I'm Spencer. I'm going to be your guide today, you already know Mike, and we'll be visiting our Mesopotamia exhibits today. You'll have an opportunity to do some group searching everywhere, however-"
Mike watched his partner lead the groups of high schoolers off with his mouth dropped open.
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"I could go back to school," Beverly said mildly, tapping a sloppy heart cut from red construction paper to Richie's nose. Richie raised his eyebrows at her as best he could with drawings taped all over his face.
"Go back to school for what?" Eddie asked, his head resting in Richie's lap and grinning up as his husbands' face quickly became invisible beneath colourful paper. Frankie was half hung over Beverly's shoulders, pointing out the exact places that Bev should be placing the drawings on Richie.
"I don't know," Beverly admitted. "But I'm twenty seven years old, probably soon to be divorced and unemployed. I can't just live here forever, mooching off my high school friends."
Eddie frowned at Beverly. "You can stay here for as long you want, Beverly, you know that. But I would suggest maybe, finding even the simplest of jobs. Wait tables, work in some customer service. Yeah, it fucking sucks but... when was the last time you worked, Bev? You certainly made it sound like your husband ties together everything."
Bev nodded. "I had a part time job in college, but when Tom and I decided to get married, I dropped out of school and from the job. Tom made more than enough money to support the two of us, he was good that way. I could focus on my art and clothing... it's still something I want to do, honestly, but-"
"Then do it." Richie said fiercely. "You think anybody except Eds supported my 'I want to be a DJ' pipedream? Of course not. I mean, failing to graduate high school really made people realize that an academic world wasn't really for me, but..."
"That wasn't your fault," Bev and Eddie said together, Eddie with old-bitter anger still in his voice but Beverly as though it was simple fact of life. Something that couldn't be helped. Richie supposed it was closer to what was true than the anger Eddie held, the resentment that had rebirthed itself in Richie. Eddie continued speaking, however. "And you went got your GED. You graduated, Rich. Anybody who wants to act otherwise isn't good enough to be part of your life."
Beverly pressed a small yellow circle that might have been a sun to Richie's still-freckled cheek and smiled at him. "You went and got your GED?" The last time Beverly had spoken to Richie before their reunion had been a twenty minute phone call on Richie's twentieth birthday, where he'd ranted on about the corruption of the education system and how he'd never go back.
A small bashful smile came over Richie's face, and his eyes flittered up to the little girl who was falling asleep on Beverly's shoulders. "Three and a half years ago, when Eds and I first started talking about adoption. I wanted our baby to have two parents they could be proud of."
Beverly's heart panged painfully in her chest, glancing down at where Eddie was staring up at Richie with burning eyes. Unwelcome and unwanted, thoughts of Tom came into her mind. How for as long as she'd thought she'd love her husband, there had never been a love between them like she was seeing between Richie and Eddie in this simple moment. Never mind the moments that she hadn't looked at growing up, but couldn't help but see now. She wasn't sure anybody had ever looked at her like that, not even Richie when they were together, but there was a small tingle in the back of her mind. A forgotten poem, a crush that carried years... But what was forgotten wasn't quite remembered just yet, and the burning in Beverly's heart didn't yet have a known source.
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Ben Hanscom had decided that if he walked any farther, he may collapse and never get back up. Sighing, he sat down on the white marble steps and looked up at the sky. The sun seemed redder than normal, and he wondered if he could stare at it long enough it would give him the answer to finding happiness in life.
"Ben?" A voice that was familiar but all so random carried over to him. Ben whipped around and saw Bill Denbrough walking towards him, hand-in-hand with a beautiful dark haired girl. "Why are you sitting on the side of the road?"
"I'm considering quitting my job and moving here," Ben said, only half joking. "But it's not very comfortable."
Bill raised his eyebrows at the woman who could only be Audra, and Ben allowed himself a moment to be happy that his friend had worked things out with the woman he loved before reverting back to his resolution to feel as very little as possible.
Then Bill was crouching beside him and resting his chin on his fist. "How you doing, buddy?"
How was it that Ben Hanscom could have lived in the same city as Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak and Beverly Marsh for the last five years and not run into them once but Bill Denbrough had moved here only less than a week earlier and he was already finding Ben sitting on the street, at his lowest?
Ben let out a soft puff of air. "I think Derry broke me."
Bill nodded as though no sentence had ever made more sense in the world.
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Mike stuffed his belongings into his bag, knowing how aggressive his posture was but not being able to find it in himself to give a damn about it. If this was his first day, then he suddenly wasn't so confident in his decisions to uproot his entire life to move here. At least at the Derry Library, he hadn't been being treated like utter shit.
"First day?" A female voice carried over to him, startling Mike out of his funk. A beautiful dark-skinned woman was smiling sympathetically at him. "You've got the they paired me with Spencer on my first day look all over you."
Mike sighed and rolled his eyes. "So, he treats everybody that horribly?"
The girl chuckled. "I'm not sure what he did, but I still feel safe in answering with a yes. Spencer Pearsons doesn't believe in easing people into it. He's more of a sink or swim kind of dude."
Mike shook his head, rubbing at his cheeks. "Yeah. I got that much. Dude's a dick."
The girl patted him on the shoulder, still grinning. "You're still here." She pointed out, nodding towards the clock. "
You made it through a day with Spencer Pearsons, which is more than can be said about the mass majority of new hires. So what's it's going to be?"
Mike shook his head, frowning. "What do you mean?"
"Are you going to sink... or are you going to swim?"
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Richie pulled back the shower curtains, pressing a hand to Eddie's mouth before his husband could let out the scream that Richie knew was bubbling up in his chest. Richie slid in behind him and pulled Eddie's back flush to his chest. Eddie let out a small sigh, hand coming up behind him to tangle in Richie's damping hair.
"If I recall..." Richie whispered against Eddie's cheek. "We got interrupted this morning."
Eddie whimpered as Richie's hands moved down Eddie's stomach towards his rapidly growing arousal. Eddie tugged at Richie's now-full wet curls, and squeezed his closed. Just as Richie's hand moved to curl around Eddie's member, they both jumped apart at the sound of the bathroom door smashing open.
"Pops!" Frankie's little voice carried over to them. Their daughter knew enough about privacy not to pull back the curtain- the same way she now knew to stop trying to take her pants off in public, no matter how much she hated them- but didn't keep Eddie and Richie's hearts from launching into their throats. "Pops, are you almost done? You promise we would make cookies today and it's already 4 on the clock!"
Eddie sighed, leaning his head against Richie's shoulder and giving his husband an apologetic frown. "Yeah, Frankie. Almost done. I'll be right out."
"Okay..." The little girl said, pausing for a moment. Then. "Daddy, do you wanna me to bring you your 'pecial curly shampoo? You weft the new bottle in your room."
Eddie covered his face with his hands, and tried to ignore the way his husband's body was shaking behind him with laughter. "Nah, Franks, that's all good. Why don't you go find Bev and get her to help grab all the ingredients for the cookies, yeah?"
Little footsteps padded towards the bathroom door. "Don't call me Franks!" Came the shrill shriek of laughter before the door slammed shut. Eddie likely would've sunk completely to the shower floor if Richie's arms hadn't been holding him up.
"That's it," Eddie said dramatically. "We are never having sex again, we're going to traumatize our daughter."
Richie giggled. "Nah, we're just going to traumatize her just enough that she's funny. She doesn't even know enough about the world to think of what's happening here. She's just a born cock block."
Eddie slipped out of Richie's arms and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "To be continued?"
Richie rolled his eyes. "In eighteen years?"
"If we're lucky."
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Ben slammed the shot glass back down on the bar table and turned to point at Audra. "Your boyfriend is a dumbass."
Bill made a loud, offended noise while Audra let out a high pitched, almost angelic giggle. "Oh, I'm aware. Definitely aware."
"Wow," Bill muttered under his breath, taking another sip of his whiskey despite the fact that he was already swaying in his seat. "Some friend you are, Hanscom."
Ben laughed, signalling for a refill from the bartender. "Did he ever tell you about the time he broke his collar bone? Bastard was lucky he didn't die. Richie Tozier and Bill Denbrough were a force of idiocy to be reckoned with back in high school, couldn't stop them from doing stupid shit. Didn't help when Bev and Stan were always- hiccup- encouraging them."
Bill hummed to himself. "Richie Tozier was the biggest dumbass I've ever met. Now he has two kids. Fucking wild how shit changes."
Ben blinked and crinkled up his nose. His brain tried for a moment to process the information Bill had just dumped on him before deciding that he was just a little too drunk to do that, and it pushing it from his mind. "Stanley Uris was the king of truth or dare." Ben rambled on after giving up on Richie and his apparent children. "He managed to never do or say anything embarrassing, but always got the best stories."
"Sent my ass to the emergency room more than once," Bill nodded along. "Think the bastard targeted me."
"Course he did," Ben snickered. "We all did. You're very easy to take advantage of. You only had to look a drink to get tipsy, Denbrough."
"That's not true!" Bill exclaimed, swaying and nearly falling from his seat. Audra raised her brow at Ben, who grinned cheekily at her.
"Anyway, his collar bone..." Ben said, mind unhazing enough to remember what had started his conversation. Being drunk at 4:30 in the afternoon was something Ben Hanscom hadn't experienced since his college days, but with Big Bill Denbrough by his side, he couldn't bring himself to feel bad about it. "Stan dares Bill to jump off Richie Tozier's roof into their back yard pool right... and the Toziers have this three story house, it's really... and Billy here, is a dumbass. So off he goes, fucking misses the pool and cracks himself right against the cement around it."
Audra pressed a hand over her mouth, eyes going wide.
"It's fucking mayhem." Ben cackles. "How Bill didn't die on impact, I don't think we'll ever know. Some sort of higher being was looking out for him but his collar bone.. God it was gross. Eddie Kaspbrak was crying, Richie just like... screaming absolutely nonsense. Bill's drunk ass is laughing, and I think Stan... I don't know I think Stan went home the second Bill hit the ground-"
"I still say it's because he didn't want to be found at the scene of his crime," Bill said, eyes closed and swaying in his seat.
"Yeah," Ben nodded seriously. "But yeah- then Richie just... he fucking just... punches Bill's collar bone into his chest. Just closes his damn fist and goes for it. BANG. Then Bill's screaming, the neighbours are definitely going to call the police. It's basically, stay there with Bill and get caught under aged drinking... or make a fucking run for it."
"SO OF COURSE THESE BASTARDS!" Bill shouted suddenly, eyes wide with memory. "They just take the fuck off. Even Tozier! At his own fucking house! Mike Hanlon and little Elii Tozier were the only people worth a damn that day."
Ben rolled his eyes. "Mike and Elii were only people sober. It's not that deep."
Bill scowled but a small smirk was still tugging at his lips. "I could've died.
Ben shrugged and knocked back his entire glass of high end whiskey in one go. "Yeah. But ya didn't. Would've been Stanley's fault anyway."
A dark look came over Bill's drunk face. "Wasn't everything?"
Ben put his empty glass down and turned to look at Bill with a serious, sober face that didn't match the amount of alcohol he'd drank at all. "No." He said firmly. "In the years I knew Stanley Uris, he only ever did one thing seriously wrong- and we all just decided you know, fuck that guy. That guy's a piece of shit. But it was, you know, it was one bad thing. One bad thing in seven years. You knew him longer. The only person who gets to hold it against him is Richie. The rest of y'all need to get the fuck over it."
Bill blinked, frowned, opened his mouth, then frowned again. Then broke down into giggles. "You said y'all."
Ben rolled his eyes, but found himself laughing, too.
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Mike picked up the freshly set up home phone in his apartment and stared at the numbers. He started punching in the number he knew wasn't a Maine area code and tried to ignore the guilt in his stomach. The phone rang once, twice, then just as Mike was thinking of hanging up, the line picked up.
"Hello?" Stanley Uris' voice carried through the line and Mike felt that old calming sense settle over him.
"Stan? It's Mike."
"Mike? Mike Hanlon?" Stanley sounded understandably confused but Mike was pretty sure he could hear the smile in his voice. "What's up?"
"I just..." Mike sighed. "I guess I'm starting to question some stuff, and you were always the most reasonable person I ever knew."
Stan laughed slightly on the other line. "I don't know if I deserve that title, man."
Mike was shaking his head. "Nah, yeah, you do. You can't let one bad call decide your entire worth. Nobody gave Eddie a final call when he keyed Greta Bowie's new car back in junior year, or Bill when he put that hair killing shit in Richie's shampoo after he dumped Bev."
"I don't know if those are really on the same level as what I did," Stan said slowly. "But I appreciate the effort, Mike."
"No, Stan, they were." Mike said firmly. "They were actions of stupid teenagers, stuff we would never do know because we know better. If it's the hill Richie wants to die on, then let him. Don't bury yourself there with him."
Stan cleared his throat on the line, his voice sounded watery when he responded. "You know, I think you have a talent for saying exactly what people need you to say. Always have."
"Yeah," Mike said. "But you have a pretty similar talent. So, please, set my head on straight."
"Well..." Stanley chuckled. "Don't know if I can do that miracle, but I can try to help you out of whatever this situation is."
Mike's entire brain stalled, drawing a small noise of him. "You... You know, then?"
Stan sighed. "Yeah, I... I guess I always knew? Maybe not even we were kids, but in high school? Yeah. I just never said anything. Figured it was your place to tell us, especially in a town like Derry."
Mike was nodding even though he knew that Stan couldn't see him. "Did you do the same with Eddie and Richie?"
A moment of silence then: "What about Eddie and Richie?"
"Uhh..." Mike coughed awkwardly. "Nothing, I- Nothing. I started my job at the museum today and it was pretty shitty. My partner is dick and everybody just thinks its fine. That I'll either get the hang of it or quit and-"
"They're right," Stan interrupted. "You'll either get the hang of it or quit. So, Mike Hanlon, I guess you gotta chose. Are you going to at least try to stick it out or are you going to go back to Derry with your tail between your legs?"
Mike huffed out a breath. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right."
"Usually am. But thanks for noticing."
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Eddie returned from the grocery store and looked around his silent, and mostly dark house in wonder. "Richie? Bev? Where are you?"
Richie wandered out from the living room, wearing the grey pair of sweatpants that Eddie had a preference of slung low on his hips and nothing else. "Baby,"
Eddie trailed his eyes down Richie's visible torso. "Hey... uhm," his throat was suddenly so dry it made it a little hard to talk. "Where is everybody? The girls?"
"Got Bev to take 'em," Richie said softly, scratching at the back of his neck and looking slightly nervous. "Because I... I start my overnights next week and you go back to work, and we'll be opposite schedules and I was hoping to spend some time together before then but if you're mad that I sent the girls away for the night I can... I can get Bev back here and we never have to- I'm sorry-"
Eddie crossed the room quickly and pressed his and Richie's lips together. He pulled back and stroked at Richie's cheeks. "Don't apologize. I absolutely trust Bev with the girls and you're right, we need this."
Richie nodded, their faces so close together that his nose dug into Eddie's cheek. "Okay, well, then... In that case..." Eddie could feel him grinning. "Why don't you take me to bed, my love?"